Throwing fiscal restraint overboard no solution for British government
There’s been plenty of commentary about the causes of the United Kingdom’s unexpected election result. Conservative Party complacency, a flap about its manifesto, the youth vote, and a post-Brexit political realignment have all been blamed for reducing the Conservatives to a parliamentary minority and in turn contributing to political uncertainty in the face of upcoming […]
MPs plan Senate offensive to get private members’ bills through
MPs whose private members’ bills have passed into the Senate say they’re unsure what lies ahead for their legislation in an increasingly independent Senate. While there is hope that a less party-disciplined Senate could make for more open-mindedness to bills, Liberal and Conservative MPs are preparing to boost their lobbying efforts in the Upper Chamber […]
Inequality has reached excessive levels and globalization is not dead
TORONTO—History tells us that the only way over time to raise individual living standards is through sustained increases in productivity. And for a long time, our incomes did rise as productivity rose, leading to rising living standards. But over the past quarter century, that link has been broken. Workers’ wages are no longer keeping up […]
Conservative MPs divided on how protected they should be from nomination challenges
Conservative MPs are divided on how much protection they should get from nomination challenges in the run-up to the 2019 election. In May of last year, Dustin van Vugt, executive director of the Conservative Party, informed caucus at a weekly meeting about proposed nomination rules. MPs were told that, under the proposal, they could avoid […]
NDP awaits key court decision in satellite-office saga after two days of hearings
Three years in, the NDP’s court battle with the House Board of Internal Economy over orders to repay satellite office and mail-out costs continues, with both sides now awaiting judgment on a motion to dismiss the NDP’s challenge filed by the board’s lawyers. A decision is expected later this summer, after hearings on the motion […]
International diplomacy in the age of Trump
OTTAWA—Progress at G20 summits is always difficult and incremental at the best of times. They bring together leaders of the G7 countries along with those of the developing nations of China, Brazil, Mexico, India, and others in hopes of formulating wider agreement on how to deal with the global financial system, the environment, and social […]
Comms directors to McKenna, Foote depart
Summertime on the Hill means plenty of staff changes while the House of Commons is on break, and two directors of communications have recently left their respective ministerial offices. Frédérique Tsai-Klassen has exited her role as director of communications to Environment Minister Catherine McKenna, and a listing on the conflict of interest and ethics commissioner’s […]
In praise of political fun…of a certain kind
It’s only the first half of July and, already, Justin Trudeau is having the kind of awesome political summer that befits the lusted-after (per The Irish Times) leader of a newly hip (per The New York Times) and positive-influence exporting (per Ipsos) country, amid a gruesome global shortage of political fun. Trudeau went from presiding […]
How 63 lobby groups landed meetings with the PM
Getting into the same room as the prime minister demands a lot of legwork, meetings with ministers, matching government language, and a little luck, according to consultants and insiders who say Justin Trudeau is leading his consultation-focused government by example. Since the October 2015 election, 63 groups filed 96 communication reports from meetings with Mr. Trudeau […]
Post-election blues, Mulcair, and long leadership race to blame for NDP 2016 donor woes: insiders
The dive in the NDP’s 2016 fundraising dollars after a disappointing election loss surprised no one, but some say the dip could have been levelled out with better strategy at the top: namely, someone other than Thomas Mulcair as interim leader, and a shorter campaign to replace him. The year of the election offered a […]
